Archive for the ‘Athlete’ Category

When the scoreboard at Aberdeen High School’s football field fell into disrepair, a few alumni – who just happen to play in the NFL – stepped forward to save the day. They wrote a big check and gave it to the school…along with one condition.

But the cash-strapped school called an audible at the line of scrimmage. Continue reading

Unfortunately, many people’s talk is cheap. They say one thing and then do another which makes their promises as empty as their integrity. If the commitments they’ve made might end up costing them something, they break them without any reservation.

But when Michael Jordan gave his word, he kept it…even if it could cost him millions. Continue reading

Everybody knows that in baseball you get three strikes…and then you’re out. Not 1. Not 4. It’s such a universal rule that most parents and teachers (and even bosses) use it in their respective roles. Getting “three” strikes is the last hope a nervous batter has after accumulating two.

Jake Porter wasn’t exactly the most talented player on his high school football team. OK, that’s an understatement. He’d never scored a single touchdown. He’d never even ran the ball. Heck, he’d never even touched the ball!

But all that was about to change. And when it did, a lot of hearts would also be changed. Continue reading

Florence Chadwick was a world-class athlete who set and broke long-distance swimming records for women…and men. In 1950, she crossed the English Channel faster than any other woman in history. A year later, she crossed it again, this time against the current, something no other woman had ever done.

But on July 4, 1952, Chadwick did something else she’d never done before. Continue reading

If you were putting together a basketball team and had the chance to pick Michael Jordan as one of your players, you would almost certainly do so. But back in 1978, Coach Clifton “Pop” Herring had that exact opportunity…and opted not to.

Instead of MJ, he chose a player that most fans have never heard of. Continue reading

When Michael Jordan stepped onto the court, he played for nothing short of victory. He was a driven, committed, passionate athlete who was intolerant of mediocrity. But he didn’t just play that way; he lived that way, as well.

In 1992, British-born Derrick Redmond was in search of an Olympic medal. Which color, he cared not. He just wanted a piece of human history, and he had disciplined himself with machine-like precision his whole life to achieve that goal. Continue reading